Stage Struck

We work hard to promote literacy, and encourage a love of language. Towards that end, we are always happy to be able to offer programs such as our Creative Writing Workshops, Book Clubs, Writer's Club - and again this year Children's Theatre.

The Lake of Bays Libraries were able to secure Grant funding from a Cultural Strategic Investment Fund from Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism of approximately $13,000.00. This grant covered 80% of the cost, where local businesses from each community provided the other 20%.


The grant covered the cost of bring in a professional Children's Theatre Group for two separate 10 week workshops for each community.

The grant was awarded to HUB Productions of Bracebridge. Amy Bridle, Director of the Theatre Group provided two plays in Dwight; " Alice in Wonderland" and "The Jungle Book" and in Baysville; "Willy Wonka" and "101 Dalmation".

Over 40 children from our communities registered for this program.  On rehearsal nights, the Libraries would be buzzing with excited youngsters waiting for Amy's arrival. Our Wii systems and Youth Book areas got a lot of traffic!

The final stage performances were outstanding! The children were amazing, the costumes unbelievable and the smiles on the parents and grand parents rewarding!
The Libraries are looking for financial partners for next year. The grant is finished, and with the seed money from the last performances, we can look forward to another project in the spring with additional financial support.

More than Books

Our library is about a lot more than "just books."  (although we don't believe one can ever refer to the magical worlds between the covers as "just books")

We have e-resources, employment assistance, tutoring classes, computer classes, internet access, dvds, cds, magazines and newspapers.



We have a cosy corner for the adults to settle in to read by the fire, with a cup of coffee or tea to hand.

We have snuggly spots for the youngsters to enjoy while they embark on tremendous voyages of discovery -- in books.

We've got a place to gather for the teens, complete with a Wii system and a terrific collection of books for young adults. Since we brought in the Wii, we find we've brought in the teens, and they in turn have taken out the books. It's working well.
There's a spot for adults to meet, and spend time chatting with their neighbours.  It's not at all unusual to find a handful of people bringing their lunch here, to socialize and mingle, and maybe take home another novel.

Another corner for folks to set up their computers and access the high speed internet services we provide.  We have e-readers, and you can access our e-library on your own devices too.

And we have our very own small store, with interesting and unusual gifts.

Some of those gifts include books by local authors, photos and paintings by local artists, jewellry made by local children, handmade soaps produced by local artisans.  There are cards for all occasions, too, made locally.

This is the time of year we are reminded about connections and families.  Drop by, and become part of our library family.

Peggy would be delighted to welcome you home to the Library -- and you'll be delighted by what you find inside our walls.

We Light the Night

On December 1 the community gathered at the Library to welcome in the season with holiday cheer, camaraderie and lighting Christmas trees.





Many thanks to Phil Pavey who brought his spider lift to help string lights into the hundred foot white pine. THE Township helped us get power to the three Christmas trees in the yard.

The Muskoka Music Men came a'carolling, four lovely ladies provided music inside, alongside the munchies, cider, hot chocolate and penny sale.

It was wonderful to welcome so many of our friends and neighbors to greet the season. Several area businesses joined us with special sales and lights of their own.

As we come close to the longest night of the year seeing the nights light up is cheering.

Reaching Out

The District of Muskoka's Outreach Program invites yu to a meeting at the Dwight Public Library, Nov. 22, at 3.30 p.m.

The goal is to bring district social services and programs to the Township and to work to determine the needs in the community and assist in meeting and planning for these needs.

There are many programs available to the people in need, and the object is to make people aware of the services.

They are looking for representation from the following community members or service agencies to form a subcommittee:  School; seniors' organizations; families; service organizations such as the Lions Club. 

Everyone is welcome to attend, so please come out and bring your ideas!

Get Your Giller On...

We all six of the finalist novels for the prestigious ScotiaBank Giller Prize.

From this year's winner, Half-Blood Blues, by Esi Edugyan; through the great pages of the other entries, we've got your Reading List all sorted out!

Find out what -and who -are making Great Canadian literature this year! Get Your Giller On!

Michael Ondaaatje's The Cat's Table; Lynn Coady's Antagonist; Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers; Zsuzsi Gartner's Better Living Through Plastic Explosives (which gets our vote as the best title!); and David Bezmozgis' Free World -- they are all available at the Dwight Public Library.

Remember that we can also provide you with e-books, even if you aren't up at the cottage!

HALLOWE'EN CUPCAKE DECORATING WORKSHOP

Hallowe'en is not about how much candy you can score at the door...  It's a great opportunity to spend time with the kids, have some fun designing costumes, decorating the house... maybe even reflecting on the historic origins of the day, and just having fun family times. Memories that last...

So come join us to make some of those great memories...


October 29th, from 10.30 to 11.30 a.m.

Erika's Wild Flour Bakery has generously donated the cupcakes... all we need are the Kids, aged 5 and up, to decorate their own cupcakes to bring home.

(Children younger than 5 can come too, but need to supervised by a parent)

Please sign up at the Library, or by calling Peggy or Cathy or Elaine, at 705 635 3319.

PIE!

PUMPKIN PIE CONTEST...

we've got two categories -- best decorated (it could be the scariest pie, funniest, silliest...  Like the Library, your imagination should be a Place Unbound

-- and best tasting...  go dig out Mom or Grandma's most famous recipe, and give it your own tasty twist.

Judging takes place Fri. Oct. 28th at the Kids Halloween Dance Party, so please drop off your pies between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 28th.

We think it will just be BOO-tiful!!

GET YOUR SPOOK ON!

It's that wonderfully spooky time of year!

Join us at the Dwight Community Centre, October 28th, for a Costume Party, children ages 0 - 13, from 6.30 till 8.30 p.m.

There's no charge for admission -- we've got great prizes for costumes, and other cool events.  Not only that, we'll be handing out prizes for the Pumpkin Pie contest. Prizes are in two categories:

a) Scariest Pumpkin Pie

b) Tastiest Pumpkin Pie.

This is a great place to bring your little witches, star-troopers, ghosts, goblins, princesses, tramps and superheroes (and all the rest of that great cast of characters) for a  fun Hallowe'en evening with your friends and neighbours.

Thanks so much to Ann-Marie Boehm Tapley, the Lions' Club and the Library for pulling together to make this happen.

A Place Unbound!

It is Library Week in Ontario... Oct. 16 - 23.

Come on in and discover that we are so much more than BOOKS!  Check out our DVD and CD collection; magazine collection; and give a try to one of the Kindle or Kobo e-readers.  If you've never handled one of these, Cathy will be happy to walk you gently through the introduction.

Books for the e-readers can be "borrowed" from your Library... You can access your Dwight library while on Vacation in the South, for instance, and still 'check out' a book to your e-reader.

We also provide a meeting place, a youth section, computers and instruction in computers, high speed internet access, employment services, children's programs (including drama and writing workshops), literacy programs...

Oh yes, we've also got BOOKS!

The Write Stuff

 Everybody has stories. Getting them out of your head and onto the page is the trick.

This workshop, geared to kids aged 10 to 13, will help you do just that.

It's FREE (just like your imagination!) but space is limited, so sign up now!

From Oct. 18 to Dec. 6, 4.30 to 6 p.m. at the Dwight Library, it's a fun opportunity to learn about writing techniques that will help you get your voice onto paper.

705 635 3319.

Special thanks to the Toronto Dominion Bank for jumping in to sponsor this program, for materials.  TD Bank is a huge supporter of our summer reading program as well, and we are beyond delighted to have them 'on board' for the writing workshop!

TD Summer Reading Club Winner!

Congratulations to Kevin Hutchins who won a Sony Walkman in the August draw for the TD Summer Reading Club.

This is a great program for our kids -- and Kevin did us all proud!

Pennies for Pages

Jenna and Michael Sykes hold the jar of rolled coins raised at the library this summer for "Pennies for pages". This pair, along with their Grandma, Gwen, approached us this summer with the idea and set up the jar in the library.

Last week they took the jar and rolled all the coin. When they brought it back to us this week, they announced we had $104.95.

What a great idea that was!  Thanks Jenna and Michael!

Sweet Victory!

Congratulations to the winner of our "GUESS THE NUMBER OF JELLYBEANS?" CONTEST.    The guess was complicated by the addition in the box of a stuffed bear and other toys...

Collin Hungerford guessed 2582 and the actual number was 2630.

A very Special thank you to Ross and Annmarie Tapley who came up with the idea of the jellybean contest and put it all together for us.

We raised $235 for the library!

BeDazzled!

We had perfect weather for our Stella and Dot Jewellry fundraiser.

Everyone went home with something beautiful...

and proceeds went to the Friends of the Library.  Perfect.

Fit for Anything

Fitness classes run all summer at the Community Centre -- Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 8.30 a.m.   Come and join in, a great start to the day (and you get to go home right past two excellent bakeries... what could be better :)  )

Yoga is offered Friday mornings from 9 to 10 a.m. with certified instructor Ingrid Bittner.  Just breathe...

Getting Wet... with Felt

Here's something new -- wet felting.  Carolyn Misener will introduce you to this craft on Wed. Aug. 17, from 10 to 3 p.m.  This is for beginners, who will learn the basics of wet-felting, while creating an ornamental cuff and bookmark.

Register, 705 635 3319.

Come out and see what it's all about.  

Stepping Stones

Sanday Brown returns to the library, August 16, at 10.30 a.m.  Children six and up will enjoy creating their own unique garden stepping stone.  Bring your own special items to help decorate  your stone:  beads, coloured rocks, coins, shells and whatever treasures you want to include.   Younger children can  join in provided they have a parent along to help.

Wear old clothes. You will get messy. That's the best part about making 'stuff'.

Please be sure to call and register. 705 635 3319

MISS PEGGY tells TALL TALES

Come for Storytime with Miss Peggy, Fridays at 10.30 a.m.   Little ones will enjoy the fun-filled imaginative stories told in Miss Peggy's own unique style.

Toys come out of the tickle trunk to act as props... and the whole experience is magic for little eyes and ears!

So much to Do! Starting with Stella and Dot!

Summer is here, and there's a LOT happening at your library.

Join us on August 17, for a unique fundraiser, with Halley Verity. Halley is a stylist with Stella & Dot jewelry. She will be with us from 3.30 to 5.30 to demonstrate the popular range of boutique style jewelry and accessories for women and girls.  Proceeds from the sale of items goes towards programming and materials for the library.

Come on out and see some of these truly beautiful and unique pieces of wearable art.

Masterminds!

Trivia Night at the library is always popular -- this year, we set a record, with 20 teams competing!  What a fun way to raise funds for books!

We were serving chili, buns, snacks and cold drinks, too... and could not keep up with the popcorn orders!  Popcorn really must be "brain food" the way our Trivia teams consumed it!

There are five rounds, 20 questions per round, and we kept the teams hopping.

The big winners - reclaiming their title from past years -- the MASTERMINDS.

Close behind them were the BRANIACS FROM BONDI BEACH.

It's great to see so many people out enjoying the library evening. 

Special thanks for making the day happen must go to our wonderful volunteers and the Friends of the Library, who make these events happen.

Wasn't that a Party?

We unveiled a plaque last week in our community garden, and officially opened the Book Nook -- the entire venture made possible through the generosity of our sponsors, donors, volunteers and Friends of the Library.

Truly, we'd be nothing without you!

Thanks to the efforts of all these great people, the community garden and book nook look fantastic.

We had a lot of people come out to attend our thank you party and the excellent cake that  celebrated the day.

Any excuse to get together with good friends is always welcome. Thank you to the Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce as well, for donating the building that is now the book nook.

What Happens when you bring WOLVES to the CITY?

Here's a huge thank you to author Dorris Heffron for taking time out of her stay at the cottage with her grandchildren to stop by and talk about her newest novel, CITY WOLVES

There was a great turnout from the Book Club and other Library patrons, and she sold out every book she had brought with her.  That's always a good sign.

It's a great book, too.  An historical fiction, it is meticulously researched, well written, with engaging characters (both fictional and real).  Following the notorious Dog Doctor of Halifax, the first female veterinarian in Canada, the story winds from Halifax, through Boston, to the Yukon Goldrush in Dawson City.  What both drives and binds the tale is the development of the Malamute sled dog breed, closely descended from wolves, and a truly Canadian indigenous breed.  These were the dogs that opened up the North for both First Nations and the later prospectors and Northwest Mounted Police. 

The main character, Meg, follows her dream and passion at a time when most women were -- as Meg's sister and mother -- entangled in childbearing, with little time left over to pursue anything else.  Whe her unusual and childless marriage abruptly ends in Boston, she heads across the country, drawn by the legends of the sled dogs.

Hovering around her throughout the book are the spirits of an old Inuit couple from the malamute tribe who devoted their lives to raising wolves from the wild to become the most superb sled dogs, and the foundation of the Malamute breed.

It's a great read for anyone interested in Canadian history, the Gold Rush in the Klondike, the pioneering spirit of women moving away from traditional roles, dogs in general, Malamutes and wolves in particular... or for someone just looking for a great tale to read over the summer.

TRIVIA NIGHT!

This Wednesday, July 20, it's time to get Trivial!  Our annual Trivia Night fundraiser starts at 6 p.m. -- we've got dinner this year: either vegetarian or meat chili, with buns as well as popcorn, soft drinks and the usual good stuff. 

Teams of 6 will try their talents against last year's winners.  $10 /person, and please do register the teams well in advance so Peggy can organize her computer.

It really doesn't matter what you know... Peggy and the gang will have squirreled out obscure and arcane questions to test the whole team.

705 635 3319 to register, please. 

Doors open at 6 p.m. the Trivia starts at 7.  It's a great way to spend an evening with good friends, and who knows? you may discover great depths of knowledge you didn't know you possessed!

Thanks!

Thursday from 10.30 to 1, we're saying a huge THANK YOU to all the Friends, the volunteers, the joiners-in who have worked so hard to make the Book Nook beautiful.

This is a meet and greet networking occasion, with light refreshments, and we'll be unveiling a plaque thanking the sponsors. 

Come and join us!

CITY WOLVES

Join Author Dorris Heffron on Thursday, July 14, at 1.30 at the Dwight Library. She'll be discussing her newest novel, CITY WOLVES. This is an historical fiction, following the first female veterinarian in Canada from Halifax, through Boston to the Gold Rush days at Dawson City as she pursues her passion for the wild wolves, and the Malamute sled dogs descended from them.  A believable cast of characters, a true love of the north country and the brave dogs that made living there possible, interspersed with  Innuit spiritguides  who keep watch over the breed they developed from the wolves makes this a great read.  A different perspective on the Yukon gold rush, and the women who have been mostly unsung in history, keeps this high on our summer reading list.

Summer Reading

What is better than a good book, a glass of something cool, a shady spot by the lake, summer?

A book that only cost $2.00, that's what!

While other people are outside weeding gardens, we've been weeding our collections -- we've got tables full of fabulous books, by truly amazing authors, all going for the paltry sum of $2.00 each.

What a deal!

Going Beyond How to Turn the Thing On

Letting our regular patrons know, our computers will be unavailable to the general public Wednesdays, from 10.30 noon, June 8 to 29th.

That's because Heather has them in use teaching an Adult Computer Class.  For those who aren't sure what to do beyond pushing the big button that starts the computer, this is a great opportunity.  It's limited to 4 people -- but ifyou didn't get the chance to enroll, and you'd like to be part of this, please talk to Peggy or Cathy.

If there's interest, there will definitely be more opportunities.

Stepping Stones!

JUNE 11, Sanday Brown will be at the library, teaching you how to make wonderfully unique stepping stones for your gardens.

It's from 10.30 to noon.  Ideal for children 5 and up, and a great gift for Father's Day.  Bring some treasures to add to the stones. Wear old clothes -- the best crafts get kids messy, and this one might just do that too!

Please call the libary to reserve a spot!!

The Play is the Thing!

We are delighted to announce that the kids have worked hard, (and listening to rehearsals, can they ever sing beautifully!) the play is almost ready, and on THURSDAY JUNE 16, at the RENE CAISSE THEATRE in Bracebridge, both the Dwight and Baysville groups will be presenting their plays.

Dwight will showcase Alice in Wonderland. Baysville is weighing in with Willy Wonka.  It's at 6 p.m, Tickets are only $10.00 Call the box office at 705 645 8400 to get them.

It's well worth the short drive to see these productions, to support the kids, and this program, and just to enjoy. 

What Took Them So Long?

It's always wonderful when new book reviews are coming out to discover that we've already got them, on the shelves, ready for our patrons.

We're always pleased to be able to say, about those very book reviews,

The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom
        When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.
       Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.
       Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.
       The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain
         No twentieth-century American writer has captured the popular imagination as much as Ernest Hemingway. This novel tells his story from a unique point of view — that of his first wife, Hadley. Through her eyes and voice, we experience Paris of the Lost Generation and meet fascinating characters such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Gerald and Sara Murphy. The city and its inhabitants provide a vivid backdrop to this engrossing and wrenching story of love and betrayal that is made all the more poignant knowing that, in the end, Hemingway would write of his first wife, "I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her."

The Tiger's Wife, by Tea Obrent 
     This is an audaciously original book, all the more so when one reflects that the author is only in her mid-twenties. It takes place in a Balkan location - likely Belgrade and the surrounding countryside - and focuses on a young woman - Natalia's - search for the truth about the last days of her grandfather.
      The narrative is woven around Natalia's remembrances of two fable-like stories narrated to her by her grandfather, which weave tighter and tighter and ultimately reveal their truths. There is a magical realism quality to these stories, which encompass the haunting tale of a rogue tiger, an abused deaf-mute woman who is feared by the villagers and rumored to be the tiger's wife, Darisa the bear and tiger hunter, and a "deathless man" who may be the nephew of Death itself, whose appearances often portend catastrophe.
      Similarly, at the heart of The Tiger's Wife, a pampered tiger abandoned by war in a deserted zoo becomes "free" and reverts back to his original nature, placing the only person with the compassion to feed him at risk. Ms. Obreht writes, "If things had turned out differently, if that winter's disaster had fallen in some alternate order...the rumors that spread about the tiger's wife might have been different...But because that winter was the longest anyone could remember, and filled with a thousand small discomforts, a thousand senseless quarrels, a thousand personal shames, the tiger's wife shouldered the blame for the villagers' misfortunes." THIS Tiger burns bright with allegory as well.

The Midwife of Venice, by Roberta Rich
     The year is 1575. Word about Hannah Levi's expert skills in midwifery has spread even to the Venetian nobility, which prompts a late-night visit to her apartment in the Ghetto Nuovo. The Conte di Padovani's wife, Lucia, lies close to death in childbirth, and he desperately needs Hannah's help.

       Hannah's decision to accompany the Conte to his palazzo goes against her rabbi's wishes as well as a papal edict. Jews are forbidden to treat Christian patients, and if either the mother or the child dies, she will bring the wrath of Christian Venice down on everyone in the ghetto. And should anyone in the Conte's household discover her birthing spoons, the forbidden tool she invented to assist with deliveries, she could be charged with witchcraft.

     In return for this high-risk endeavour, she strikes a bargain: As payment, she asks for enough money to rescue her husband. While on a trading voyage, Isaac was captured by mercenaries in the pay of the Knights of St. John, men “reeking of drink and sweat and religion,” and languishes in prison on Malta.
       So begins a lively tale involving love, blackmail, family, murder, plague, intercultural compassion, dramatic last-minute rescues and some very creative disguises. There is a lot going on, and the brisk pacing ensures ever-changing action.

 

A Mountain of Crumbs, by Elena Gorokhova       Her exquisitely wrought, tender memoir of growing up in the Soviet Union…could be taught as a master class in memoir writing. … Gorokhova writes about her life with a novelist’s gift for threading motives around the heart of a story. … Each chapter distills a new revelation in poetic prose.

        The 20 episodes in A Mountain of Crumbs are extraordinarily rich in sensory and emotional detail and offer an engrossing portrait of a very lively, intelligent girl coming of emotional and intellectual age in the post-Stalinist Soviet Union.”

Drawing the Bow

Look what was lurking in the North Muskoka Woods! 

This great dinosaur was one of the targets for our 3rd Annual Archery Tournament, held Sunday at Logging Chain Lodge in Dwight.

Many thanks to the Tapley family, Anne Marie, Ross, Samantha and Sonya, at Logging Chain for all their help in setting up this outstanding tournament -- targets large and small were carefully placed in the woods. Practice butts were available at the resort.

Lunch was also available, thanks to our great Friends of the Library!  Nobody left hungry!

Over 70 archers participated this year. That's an impressive number, particularly since the weather forecast -- which was wrong -- was calling for rain all day.  The drizzle didn't start until long after we had everything wrapped up, trophies and prizes awarded, and all the arrows accounted for.

Archery is a fantastic sport. Our youngest competitor was FIVE years old... we're not allowed to mention the age of our oldest.  Everyone was outside, in the fresh air, enjoying a sport that calls for skill and co-ordination, and yet is accessible to anyone.  From the simplest of bows right up to the professional compound creations that the Olympic athletes favour, there was a wide range of equipment, and a wide range of experience.

All coming together nicely, thank you, to make for just a wonderful day.